Cairo pass for tourists

Egypt's antiquities ministry has introduced a new five-day tourist pass providing unlimited entry to all Egyptian, Islamic and Coptic museums and archaeological sites in Cairo and Giza. The Cairo Pass, launched on 17 July, is designed exclusively for foreign visitors and can be purchased from outlets including the Egyptian Museum, Cairo Citadel and the antiquities ministry.

The pass, which costs $80 for foreign tourists and $40 for foreign students, offers significant savings when compared to the roughly €150 combined entry fees for the Cairo and Giza sites.

Egypt’s once booming tourism sector has been in decline since the 2011 revolution which led to the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak. The country's tourism industry suffered a further setback after the bombing of a Russian passenger plane in the Sinai pensinula last October, killing all 224 people aboard.

The country's main airport, Cairo International, remains under a ban for carry-on laptops on US-bound flights. The security measures were introduced by Washington in March after intelligence suggested that Islamic State was developing a bomb concealed in personal electronic devices.

Egypt's annual revenue from tourism declined from $11 billion in 2010 to $3.4 billion in 2016.